Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, including Tampa, Clearwater and St. Petersburg, are in the forecast path of Hurricane Milton. Hurricane and storm surge watches have been posted.

Hurricane Milton continued to strengthen on Monday and became a powerful Category 3 hurricane with 120 mph winds, according to the National Hurricane Center. Milton was in the Gulf of Mexico and is headed toward the Florida Peninsula, parts of which are now under hurricane and storm surge watches.

The Gulf Coast is once again hunkering down, this time ahead of Hurricane Milton's expected mid-week landfall. Pinellas County residents in zones A, B and C are urged to evacuate, with mandatory orders likely to come early this week.